Give it to God

Turn to the Lord for help in everything you do, and you will be successful. Proverbs 16:3

 Many of us have clutter in our lives. It seems as if we get overwhelmed easily by all the little things that we have on our "to-do" lists.

I am "one of those people" that worry all the time. If there's something to worry about, I'm worrying. I don't like this quality; however, it is a part of who I am and I can't change or work on it until I admit it is there....and it is.

God promises that if we look to Him we will find peace. That when we turn our burdens, tasks, "to-do" lists, over to Him we will find strength.

I have a pretty long "to-do" list the next couple of days. I'm turning it over to God and putting my best foot forward. I know that it will get done and I do not need to stress about it!

On a different note...I'm signing off until the New Year! Since I will be finishing up my devotional book for the year ( I can't believe it's been that long already) I will be changing things up a bit. I'll be going back into the Word and reading that for the 2013! I hope you all stay connected and join me in my next journey of reading through God's words!

What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. Matthew 6:33 

Making Us Stronger

The Lord might give you sorrow and pain like the bread and water you eat every day. But God is your teacher, and he will not continue to hide from you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. If you wander from the right path, either to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, “You should go this way. Here is the right way.” Isaiah 30:20-21

We have talked a lot about troubles, hardships, problems. It seems to be a "hot topic" right now in our world.

I was watching the news just the other day and all I kept hearing was sadness...it wasn't just the recent tragedy at the elementary school, but so many other tragic events are going on in our world.

It is time for Jesus to come. It is time for us to go home! Although we don't know when He will come to save us, and we don't understand all these horrid events, we can choose to trust in Him and know that these trials are making us stronger. They are making us better fighters and giving us the strength to push on.

We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. 2 Corinthians 4:17 

A Response to Tragedy

God once said, “Let light shine out of the darkness!” And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need.    God’s kingdom belongs to them.
Great blessings belong to those who want to do right more than anything else.    God will fully satisfy them. 
Matthew 5:3,6

We are made complete in Christ. If we ever feel empty, or like we are missing something, God is there to fill that space.

We have all heard of the tragedy that happened last week. It is devastating. It doesn't make any sense at all. I am trying to understand "why", but the answers don't come.

This morning on my way to work I was listening to the Christian radio station and they read something that I want to share. It is a prayer by Max Lucado as he responds to the tragic events.

Dear Jesus,It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation? 

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence. 

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene. 

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger. 

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us. 

Hopefully,
Your Children

I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

Everything that breathes, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6

Learning Patience

The fountain of life flows from you.
    Your light lets us see light.
Psalm 36:9

"If you want to work with Me, you have to accept My time frame. Hurry is not in my nature." 

I love this line from my devotional this morning. I needed that! I always need reminders about patience, God timing, and understanding. I find such comfort in them. 

God says that He wants to work together with us to create our dreams. He wants to make them come true but we need to trust His timing. 

My soon-to-be sissy-in-law gave me a pendent necklace on my last birthday. It reads, "Faith in God includes faith in His timing." I love that! I wear it as a reminder that I can't do one without the other. If I'm trusting in God, I'm agreeing to have patience and trust in His timing. 

The Lord came back to visit Sarah as he said he would, and he kept his promise to her. At exactly the time God said it would happen, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Abraham named his son Isaac. Abraham did what God commanded and circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old.Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. Sarah said, “God has made me happy, and everyone who hears about this will be happy with me. No one thought that I, Sarah, would be able to have Abraham’s child. But I have given Abraham a son, even though he is old.” Genesis 21:1-7

Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 

Blessings in Disguise

Don’t worry—I am with you.
    Don’t be afraid—I am your God.
I will make you strong and help you.
    I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.
Isaiah 41:10

I know that it is hard to see our problems as blessings, but sometimes it is what we need to do to understand our situation and grow from it. 

Today's devotion was all about difficulties being blessings in disguise. A favorite song of mine comes to mind called, "Blessings". I think I have even shared it on here in the past but it really fits today's topic. 

Difficulties, trials, hard times - they are always going to occur. What is important to remember is that there is something in all tragedy that can be learned. We are strengthened from the hard times in our lives and we grow closer to God. It is important to keep focus on God and to know that He is always with us and is carrying us through to blessings!

Here is the song, once again, that I find so comforting! 

"Blessings"

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise 

You can listen to it hear as well: "Blessings" by Laura Story

Even there you will take my hand and lead me.
    Your strong right hand will protect me.
Psalm 139:10

My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. James 1:2

Just What I Needed...

While reading my morning devotions I felt truly blessed and was thankful for what God was telling and reminding me. Then, I got to work and read my devotional email I receive every morning from "Purpose Driven Life" ministry.  I want to share the devotion that they sent today. It was just what I needed to hear and I want to share it with all of you!

You Obey God by Trusting God by Tom Holladay

“But Joseph had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:25 NIV) Some people are good at the immediate. They can jump right into anything, but they are not good at “keeping on keeping on.” And other people are good at lasting, but it takes them a long time to get there. To live the exciting life of faith that God has planned for you, you need to be good at both the immediate and the lasting — and both of those require that you keep on trusting. Joseph didn’t understand what it meant for Jesus to have a virgin birth; he didn’t understand Jesus would be God in human flesh. But he knew what God told him to do, so Joseph kept on trusting. He was a newlywed who didn’t get a honeymoon, and his new marriage was not anything like he planned, but he still kept trusting. What are you going to do when life doesn’t work out like you planned or wanted? I am always encouraged by what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit” (LB). I don’t know why some people are diagnosed with terminal cancer. I don’t know why some children rebel so strongly against their parents. I don’t know why so many things happen that don’t make sense. So it’s encouraging to hear one of the greatest men of faith say, “I don’t know why things happen as they do, but I still choose to not give up.” It’s good to know that we can trust God and that he knows things we don’t. He has promised that one day he will set everything right. One day he will bring everyone who trusts in him together. Until then, there are two ways you can live your life. You can live feeling like God owes you an explanation, or you can live realizing God has given you great gifts. If you live life feeling like God owes you an explanation, you will only wind up in a constant state of bitterness, because God doesn’t owe you anything. But even though he doesn’t owe you anything, he has given you everything. He gave you his own Son. He gave you the gift of eternal life. He gave you the promise of being together with him forever. Those are great gifts. Talk About It In what situation is God asking you to trust him, even though it doesn’t make sense to you? Paul may seem far from an ordinary man. In what ways can you relate to him? How are you encouraged by his trust in God? Tom Holladay is a teaching pastor at Saddleback Church and author of The Relationship Principles of Jesus. This devotional © 2012 by Tom Holladay. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The Battle

Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn't need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you. 1 Samuel 17:47 

We need to remember that "the battle belongs to the Lord".

Sometimes, all we need to do in tough times is call upon God and He will take care of the rest. Hard times are bound to come, and attacks from the evil one are going to occur. But call on God and He will send you the peace you need and will take over the battle for you.

Give all your worries, battles, anxieties over to God!

So God raised him up to the most important place
    and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.
God did this so that every person will bow down to honor the name of Jesus.    Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow. 
Philippians 2:9-10

You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You can’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a wonderful and heavenly joy that cannot be explained. Your faith has a goal, and you are reaching that goal—your salvation. 1 Peter 1:8-9